No fewer than 12 Spurs players have been away on international duty and, with Andre Villas-Boas's side also facing a Europa League quarterfinal with Basel next Thursday, the Swans boss suggests that fatigue and a lack of cohesion could work against his opponents.

"In Spain they call it the FIFA virus," Laudrup told reporters. "The big teams suffer, especially the first game after the break because they haven't been together for two weeks."

The Swans themselves had five players on international duty but the 48-year-old believes that the impact on his side will not be as great as it did not affect the majority of their squad.

"We have had players away but it's not like 15 players, like some of the big clubs," he added, "but for Tottenham, it's not the same because they have more international players than we have.

"You never know after an international break. Some of the big clubs, they always hate it. Everybody is away and some of the players come back on the Thursday or the Friday and have to travel on a Friday and play on a Saturday."